Suction-dredger.



PATENTED AUG. l5, 1995,.

NL (L HARRS SUGTION DREDGER..

APPLmMIoN :mmm mov. z5, 1904.

STATES UNITED MARSHALL C.

PATENT onirica.

@UTION-DHEDGEH.,

Speceation of Letters Patent.

i Patented ug. 15, 1905.

Application iiled November 25, 1905i. Serial No. 234,275.

To all whom it nmty'corwcrvt:

Be it known that I, h/IARSHALL C. HARRIS, a citizen of the United States, residing at 5 Mar ket street, in the city of San Francisco, county of San Francisco, and State of California, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Suction-Dredg'ers; and I do hereby declare the following' to be a full, clear, and exact desoription of the said invention, such as will `enable others skilled in the art to which it most nearly appertains to make, use, and practice the same.

This invention relates to improvements in suction-dredg'es, and more particularly to the cutter-head thereof; and it consists ofthe novel construction and arrangement of the parts.

Heretofore the cutter-head has been constructed in various ways, the more generally accepted type being a series of radial arms supporting' a rotatable framework lixed upon the driving-shaft and having knife-blades riveted to the framework parallel with the axis of the driving-shaft.

The above-described construction is subject to various disadvantages, which it is the object of the present invention to eliminate by constructing a cutter-head that will displace the maximum of dirt with the minimum of power, break up the dirt into small particles, reduce the cost of operation and facilitate the making' of repairs, and to cut a normally level i Hoor in the path of the dredger.

ln accomplishing' the above objects the invention consists, broadly, of an integ'ral casting' having' arms radiating from a center hub, said arms being' set 'forward at a slight angle to the line of the driving-shaft and having a socket-head approximately parallel with the line of the drivingshaft and approximately at rig'ht angles to the said arms, whereby the lines of said socket-heads converge toward the axis of the driving-shaft forward of the cutter-head, the socketheads being provided with a series of sockets, into which tapered teeth are driven tight. The cutter-head or cutting-whcel is fixed on the end of the driving-shaft by squaring said shaft and setting it into a square tapered hole in the hub of the cutter-head or by keying' or any other suitable means.

The dredger consists of a barge upon which the motive power is installed and having' a driving-shaft running forward and down below the water-level to the depth desired to be cut and being capable of a lateral action at any level. The suction-pipe is run down with the driving-shaft to a point just behind the cutter-head, whereby the debris displaced by the cutter-head is sucked up and delivered from the barge to any desired point by means of hydraulic suction-pumps.

lin the drawings, Figure l is a front elevation of a cutter-head constructed in accordance with this invention and set at the working angle. Fig'. 2 is a plan from above in cross-section of the same.

ln detail the construction consists of the hub A, capable of a fixed attachment to the end of the driving-shaft B. The arms A radiate from the hub and carry the socket-heads Af. These socket-heads are set on lines converging' toward the axis of the driving-shaft, so that the lower socket-head will be level when the driving-shaft is at an averag'e inclination. This leaves the iioor of the cut on a level plane. The sockets A are set in line along' the socket-heads, their depths being tangential to the periphery of the cutter-head, so the cutter-teeth A* will be given clearance to bite into tne dirt. The teeth A1 are provided with tapered shanks to [it the sockets and are wrapped with burlap and driven tightly into the sockets. The burlap prevents the teeth setting' in the sockets with rust. The cutting-points of the teeth can be given any form best adapted to negotiate the kind of dirt that they may be working iumfor instance, round points for gravel formation and chisel-points for clay and the like.`

.lhe construction is capable of variations to suit conditions without departing from the spirit of the invention. It is sometimes desirable to stag'g'er the teeth-for instance, by leaving' one or two teeth out of each series of sockets and filling' the gap by placing the teeth in line with it in the next series, and so on. The lines of the socket-heads may be placed spirally across the line of the driving-shaft, so that the lirst teeth of the succeeding' series take hold before the last teeth of the preceding series clear., so that the torque on the cutter-head may be constant. The cutter-head may be one integral piece of cast-steel, or it may be built up, as circumstances demand, the germ of the invention being' the substitution of the series of teeth units for the continuous cutting' edge. The advantages of this construction are manifold. The teeth break up the debris and better prepare it for the suction-pipe- Dirt formation refractory to the old form of cutters yields readily to the pointed attack of the teeth with the expenditure of the same power. In the case of breakage a tooth is readily loosened and replaced.

Having Athus described this invention, what is claimed, and desired to be secured by Letters Patent, isu

1. A cutter-head for suction-dredges, consisting of a hub; arms radiating therefrom; socket-heads on said arms approximately parallel with the line of the driving-shaft, and converging toward the axis thereof; teeth set in said socket-heads on lines tangential to the periphery of the cutter-head.

2. A cutter-head for suction-dredges consisting of a hub; arms radiating therefrom; socket-heads on said arms; teeth set in said socket-heads on lines tangential to the periphery of the cutter-head.

3. A cutter-head for suction-dredges consistingof a plurality of socket-heads, a series of teeth secured to each of said heads and set tangentially to the periphery of a rotatable body.

4. A cutter-head for. suctiOn-dredges comprising a rotatable body, a plurality of socketheads at the periphery of said body, and a series of teeth secured in each or said sockets.

5. A cutter-head for suction-dredges comprising a hub, arms radiating therefrom, a socket-head at the outer end of each arm, and a series of teeth secured to each of said sockets.

6. A cutter-head for suction-dredges comprising a hub, arms radiating therefrom, a socket member at the outer end of each arm, and a series of teeth removably secured in each of said sockets.

7 A cutter-head for suction-dredges comprising a plurality of socket members, and a plurality of teeth secured to each ot' said socket members. n

8. A cutter-head for suction-dredges comprising a plurality of socket members, and a plurality of teeth removably secured to each of said members.

9. A cutter-head for suction-dredges oomprising a plurality of socket members, a plurality of sockets formed in each of said members, and teeth removably secured in said sockets.

lO. A cutter-head for suction-dredges com- 

